Greenwood Village’s swank new condominium development, The Landmark, was the setting for a reception at which Girl Scouts of Colorado revealed the identities of the Denver Women of Distinction for 2008.
The women, nominated by their peers and chosen for their professional and personal contributions to the community, will receive additional recognition Oct. 22 when the Women of Distinction Dinner takes place at the Marriott City Center. It will be chaired by Marilyn VanDerbur Atler, a Woman of Distinction in 2000, and her daughter, Jennifer Atler, who was honored in 2003.
Marilyn Atler is a former Miss America who has gone on to become an author and motivational speaker; Jennifer is executive director of Invest in Kids.
The 20 honorees are:
Retired dentist Julika Ambrose; Mary Baca, a community leader and mother of 1998 Woman of Distinction Patricia Baca; Pamela Kenney Basey, an accomplished cook who has been active in Project PAVE and other community organizations; Margaret Brown, president of Colorado Business Bank Northeast; Colleen Colarelli, president and chief executive officer of Girls Incorporated of Metro Denver; retired registered nurse Kay S. Daugherty of the Denver Health and Hospital Authority; Raylene Decatur, chief executive officer of Decatur & Co.; Bonnie Downing, vice president/development for Denver Museum of Nature and Science; andDawn Engle, co-founder and executive director of the PeaceJam Foundation.
Also, Lynn Gangone, dean of the University of Denver Women’s College; Irene Ibarra, president and chief executive officer of the Colorado Trust; Frances Jefferson, regional administrator for Region VIII of the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau; attorney Barbara Kelley, a partner at Kamlet Shepherd & Reichert; Mary Rhinehart, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Johns Manville; and Lucinda Sanders, chief executive officer and founder of the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
And, Sandra Scanlon, president of Scanlon Szynskie Group, Inc.; Lisa Snider, executive director of the Colorado Ballet; Teresa Taylor, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Qwest Communications; Lynne Valencia, vice president of community relations for 9News; and Barbara Yondorf, president of Yondorf & Associates.
Being named a Woman of Distinction is “An incredible honor,” Gangone said, and “Girl Scouts is an amazing organization. I credit Girl Scouts for my path to leadership.”
Another honoree, Barbara Kelley, said there is more to the Women of Distinction honor than meets the eye. “There is a real meaning to this. This is an opportunity to get to know (individual) Girl Scouts. I am looking forward to this.”
Since 1997, Girl Scouts has honored 328 women in the Denver area, all of whom share their commitment to the ideals of the Girl Scout program by providing mentoring, career exploration and guidance to Girl Scouts throughout the year.
The Women of Distinction program is a profitable one, having raised more than $2 million for Girl Scouts’ outreach programs. These programs serve thousands of girls who otherwise would not be able to participate in Girl Scouts.
The announcement reception was sponsored by Northern Trust, with members of Brownie Girl Scout Troop 285 of Denver helping to greet guests and distribute flowers to the honorees. In a break with tradition, the reception didn’t include the roasting of Girl Scout s’mores. Instead, guests enjoyed appetizers and desserts from Occasions by Sandy, as well as a Champagne toast to the 2008 Women of Distinction.
For more information on the Women of Distinction program, or to reserve a table for the celebratory dinner, call 303-778-8774.

See pictures from the announcement reception by visiting denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com

When she was named Citizen of the Arts for 2008, the Fine Arts Foundation was paying tribute to all that Margaret Cunningham has done to advance, and maintain, such organizations as Opera Colorado, the Colorado Symphony, Rocky Mountain PBS and the Fine Arts Foundation.
But like others before her, this Citizen has many other irons in the fire, and interests that have literally taken her to the ends of the earth.
Next to the arts, adventure travel is her passion. As one friend pointed out: “Margaret may be the only person you know who has been to Muscat, Oman; Ulan Bator, Mongolia; and Samarkand, Uzbekistan.” Her itinerary this year calls for trips to Israel and Antarctica.
Lest anyone think of her as stodgy and uptight, though, consider how a decades-long friendship with Barbara Knight began:
“Our sons were both on the Kent Denver football team,” Knight recalled during the social hour that preceeded the Fine Arts Jubilee where Cunningham accepted her Citizen of the Arts award. “And when we were in the parking lot before one of their games, she opened the trunk of her car and there was a bottle of champagne and two glasses. I knew then and there that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.”
A shared appreciation for the bubbly may have started their friendship, but other common interests caused it to flourish and today Knight and Cunningham remain as close as they were back when they were young mothers raising children.
A native of Bartlesville, Okla., Cunningham earned a bachelor of arts degree in French and history from the University of Oklahoma before moving to Denver in 1964. Here, she raised her two children — Amy and Chris — and immersed herself in the community.
One of her early involvements was with KRMA-Channel 6, one of Denver’s two Public Broadcasting stations. She has been a volunteer on-air personality there for some 20 years and has been a member of both the local and national PBS boards.
In addition, Cunningham has been on the boards of Opera Colorado, the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation, Samaritan Institute and Boy Scouts of America Denver Council. She is a past president of the Colorado Lawyer Trust Account Foundation, Colorado Judicial Institute, Sewall Child Development Center, the Symphony Debs and the Fine Arts Foundation.
Nonprofit leaders have long known that when there’s a big job to do, Cunningham is to go-to person. Thus, she has chaired some of Denver’s largest fund-raisers, including the opening of “Aztec: The World of Montezuma” for Denver Museum of Nature and Science; the opening of Denver’s new Central Library; Do At The Zoo; Denver Botanic Gardens’ Fete des Fleurs; and the 1989 Summer Debutante Ball.
That was the year she created the Citizen of the Arts award, with the first recipient being Marlis Smith.
She is currently a board member for the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and the state Supreme Court’s Judicial Advisory Council.
In addition to being honored at the Fine Arts Jubilee, which was chaired by Janie Prendergast and Claudette Erek, Cunningham will be part of the receiving line this summer at the Fine Arts Debutante Ball.
Her daughter and son-in-law flew in from Wilmington, N.C., where they own several businesses; her son, an attorney in Seattle, also came in to help honor his mother.
In keeping with tradition, the Jubilee showcased young artists affiliated with organizations that the Fine Arts Foundation supports. During cocktail hour, a jazz trio from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music entertained; following dinner, In the Buff, a vocal ensemble from the University of Colorado, performed several songs.
Past recipients of the Citizen of the Arts award who attended the Jubilee included Nancy Stamper, Phyllis and Dr. Gary VanderArk, Charleen Dunn, Liz Frawley, Jean and Dick Watt, and Sherrye Berger.
Among the guests were Erna Butler, Patrice and Gordon Von Stroh, Susan Stiff, Kevin Mynatt and Pat Pearce, representing the Central City Opera; Fine Arts Foundation co-presidents Lynn Hinkle and Jean Watt; Jean and Joe Hodges; Mary and Judge Clifton Flowers; Sue Kinney; Kalleen Malone; Margot and Don Schlup; Kitty and Don Gregg; Gail and Philip Nash; Lucette Larkin; Jane and Jim Wiltshire; D’Wayn and David Stone; Mary McNicholas; Kim and Michael Porter; Kathryn and Garrette Matlock; Lynn and Dr. David Wong; Bertha Haugen; Arlene and Don Johnson; Deb Loftness; and Pam Duke with her daughter, Sara.

Pictures taken at the Fine Arts Jubilee can be seen at denverpost.com/SeenGallery.

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com.

Twenty-nine high school seniors that President Deidra Walker described as “awesome young men” who are “well-prepared, humble, polite and seriously focused” were introduced to society on Sunday night when Denver chapter of Jack & Jill of America staged its 24th Beautillion.
Over 700 family members and community leaders gathered at the Adam’s Mark Hotel for the formal ceremony chaired by Deirdre McGee, June Johnson and Faye Tate. The honorees were introduced by David Walker Jr., senior manager for a multi-billion-dollar development program at Lockheed Martin, and Mical Bruce, a pilot for United Airlines and lieutenant colonel in the District of Columbia Air National Guard. Their wives, Sylvia Walker and DeVita Bruce, are members of Jack & Jill.
Walker encouraged the Beaus to be “Extraordinary in your own way” and to “go forward, onward and upward … and never, ever give up.”
After each Beau was introduced on a stage decorated with lighted Christmas trees and poinsettias, he and his escort proceeded to the edge of the dance floor to be met by family members who invested the honoree with a kente cloth scarf.
In Africa, Bruce reminded the audience, similar garments are reserved for kings and chiefs.
The 2007 Beaus are:David Wardell Arterberry, a senior at Denver School of the Art, an accomplished artist and winner of the Beautillion essay contest. Arterberry has vovlunteered at the Black Arts Festival, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and Denver Botanic Gardens and has tutored students at Bruce Randolph School and the P.R.E.P. Academy. He hopes to attend Savannah School of the Arts, the University of Alabama at Birmingham or the University of Denver. His escort was Jordan Celeste Pettis.Terrance Kevin Boyd,who lettered in band at Thomas Jefferson High School and belongs to the Colorado Starlites, a drum/poms/step/flag and drill team. He also has played with the Citywide Marching Band and the Thomas Jefferson and Montbello high school drum lines. He plans to attend Prairie View A&M, studying music and engineering. His escort was Kamaria Gyashi Hakeem.Marion Courtenay Brown, who aspires to become a surgeon, was a member of the Grandview High School student council and honor roll and received Academic First Team All-State football and track honors. He has applied to Morehouse, the University of Colorado and the University of Arizona. His escort was Morgan Shanice Arline.Jaren Alan Carr-Rabb has been on the honor roll all four years at George Washington High School, where he played football and participated in the University of Colorado pre-collegiate program. He hopes to attend Colorado State University as a psychology major. His escort was Nicole Qwaysha McGee.Eric Jamaal Coleman was Montbello High School’s defensive player of the year in football; he also plays basketball and runs track. In addition, Eric is a mentor to special-needs children, is a member of the King Baptist Church choir and is a junior ambassador for Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. His career goal: technical engineering. Victoria Devon Turnipseed-Henderson was his escort.Julian Taylor Daniels, who aspires to become a pilot, is an accomplished chess player, placing sixth in the nation and first in Colorado. He’s a senior prefect at Regis Jesuit High School, where he plays soccer and runs track; he also is active in the Denver Museum of Nature & Science Air and Space Club. Julian plans to study aeronautical sciences at the University of North Dakota. Rhoda Mahmoud Fahieh was his escort for the Beautillion.Raymon Anthony Doane is a candidate for an International Baccalaureate diploma at George Washington High School, where he is treasurer of the International Baccalaureate Black Organization and a Link Leader. Raymon tutors in the Denver Public Schools, belongs to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is a youth ministry counselor at his church. Escorted by Lauren Nicole Coffey, he plans to attend Liberty University and study accounting and finance.Mahad Mahmoud Fahieh earned a varsity letter for cross country at Smoky Hill High School, where he was Student of the Month for February 2007 and recipient of the Blacks in Government Award. Mahad is a member of the National Honor Society, is a volunteer at Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and took part in Colorado State University’s Black Issues Forum. He also is a member of Shades of Blue. He has applied to Purdue, the University of Michigan and the University of Colorado with plans to study aerospace engineering and business. His escort was Ariessa LaFaye Adams.Cameron Greene, a senior at East High School, took part in the National Youth Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. He also plays with the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra, the East High School Orchestra and Hart Violin Studios. Cameron has attended a New York Film Academy program at Harvard University and the High School Honors Institute sponsored by the University of Colorado College of Engineering; in addition, he has served as a mentor at the summer science institute at Metropolitan State College’s Center for Mathematics. After high school, he hopes to major in engineering at Syracuse University and become an inventor. His escort was Lesley Camille Pace.Brennen William Gregory was an all-conference selection for the 2007 first track team, helping to represent the 2007 state champion Cherokee Trail High School track team. Outside the classroom, Brennen is involved with the Making a Difference Project and mentors at Ponderosa Elementary School. He has applied to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and Colorado State University with the goal of becoming a social science major. His escort was Jasmine Nicole McGee.Lee Arthur Hall Jr. is an honor roll student at Montbello High School, where he plays varsity golf and basketball. He is a College Summit peer counselor, a youth usher at his church, a Sky’s the Limit counselor, and served as an escort at the 2007 Owl Club Debutante Ball. His college plans include majoring in business administration at the University of Northern Colorado. His escort was Tavon Avai Davis.Joseph Alexander Harris was captain of the George Washington High School football team and was an all-league linebacker in his sophomore, junior and senior years. He is also the top football recuit in Colorado and the state triple jump champion. Joseph has lettered in football, basketball and track all four years, and while he has not yet finalized his college plans he hopes to go to “a great school” that will prepare him for “a great career with a stable home and family.” His escort was Crystal Jasmin Nelson.Nathaniel Bruce Hayes Jr. maintains a 3.8 grade average at Rangeview High School and was named to the National Honor Roll for the 2006-2007 school year. In 2006 he took part in the Lead America leadership conferences for outstanding high school students in engineering, science and robotics. He wants to become an architect who builds environmentally friendly homes and toward that end has applied to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the University of South Carolina. His escort was Anngelique Reashall Chislum.Andre Akeem Lanier has his heart set on designing “an exciting video game”
and will major in computer science at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Andre has has a poem published by the American Poet Society and was a guest speaker at the Cherry Creek Schools new teacher orientation this year. A senior at Grandview High School, his escort was Elizabeth Denise Jefferson.Brandon Joseph Lewis has a perfect 4.0 grade average at George Washington High School, where he played varsity football and was a member of the track team. He volunteers with the Shining Stars Foundation for children with cancer and aspires to become a doctor. He has applied to Morehouse and Mesa State, and was escorted by Shanel Marie Hughes.Nicholas Royce Lewis, captain of East High School’s varsity soccer team, was the 2006 Defender of the Year, the same year he made first team in the DPL. He’s still weighing his college options, but wants to get a degree in international business or hospitality management and work for a Fortune 500 company or open a family restaurant. His escort was Kayla Danielle Gilbert.Evan Lee Martin, who was East High School’s homecoming prince, hosted the Masters of Disaster, a disaster awareness mini-festival presented in cooperation with the African-American Leadership Institute and the Red Cross. He is a member of East’s Black Student Alliance and 100 Black Men of Denver and has applied to Florida A&M and Morehouse with the goal of becoming a lawyer. His escort was Alexandria Leighland Pierce.Shaine Anthony McGee is vice head boy at Montbello High Schoo, where he’s on the honor roll, lettered in football and won numerous medals for track. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and Montbello Black Pride, and served as an escort at the Sigma Gamma Rho Cotillion. He plans to double major in business and law at Colorado State University, Alabama or Oklahoma. His escort was Breanna Shenice Brooks.Jonathan Jason Mobley, a senior at Overland High School, aced a perfect score on the ACT math section and is in the top 10 percent of his graduating class. He has lettered in debate, given 480 volunteer hours at the Lowry Family Center, and is a member of the Beckwourth Hiking Club. He has applied to the universities of Miami, Pittsburgh and Colorado, where he plans to study medicine in preparation for a career as an orthopedic surgeon. His escort was Angela Daniella Campbell.Tyler Harlon Neal, of Chaparral High School, is an accomplished saxophone player who has received numerous awards. He has played in the Metro Jazz Festival and received a scholarship to the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Camp. He’s a member of the All-Star Band at Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and volunteers with Urban Peak. Tyler hopes to attend either Berklee College of Music or UNC with a double major of jazz studies and music business. He wants to become a jazz musician with a Christian influence. His escort was Aubree Ren Fullwood.Joshua Neil Russell is senior at East High School who has won a full scholarship to Stony Brook University. He was inducted into the National Honor Roll this year, and made the all-state lacrosse and football teams. His career goal is to become a teacher. Morgan Andrea Burgess was his escort.Royce Lynn Sanders II has won numerous awards in speech and debate at Kent Denver School, where he is a member of the chess team and Blue Key, and president of Environmental Action. He hopes to attend business school in New York. Rhiana Neshae Brame was his escort.Andrew Dominique Smith, a senior at Rangeview, is a member of the track and baseball teams and the African-American Achievement Club. Honors include an award for aid provided to a blind student when he was in eighth grade. Aerospace engineering or music production are majors he’s considering at one of Colorado’s colleges or universities. Iesha Marlene-Idalina Sandlin was his escort.Christopher Norman Smith, who plays baseball for George Washington High School, was recognized as a leader by Steps Ahead and the Odyssey Institute. His plans are to attend Albany State University of Clark Atlanta University and study radio and television in preparation for owning his own station. Codi Kathryn Cox was his escort.Marcus Earl Jahmai Steward, the Outstanding Musician and Leader-in-the-Making at Denver School of the Arts, is a founding member of The Six, a social awareness club, and the DSA percussion ensemble. He has taken pre-collegiate summer programs at the University of Colorado and hopes to become an audio/media production advisor for Bose Corp. after graduating from Georgia State University. His escort: Sanai Michelle Fennell.Devin William Thaxton, the fastest 400-meter hurdler in the region and captain of the Eaglecrest High School track team, hopes to one day make the U.S. Olympics track and field team. A member of Restoration Christian Fellowship’s youth group and his school’s madrigal ensemble, Devin is weighing engineering and veterinary medicine as career choices. He hopes to attend Arizona State University, the University of Utah or an historically black college. His escort was Jourdan Elizabeth-Allena Sherman.Coty Carter Walker is a member of Rangeview High’s gymnastics team, and has won numerous state, regional and national awards. He is ranked at competency level 8 by the United States Association of Gymnasts, and has coached at the Aurora School of Gymnastics. Coty is undecided on the college he’d like to attend, but knows he will major in business management or accounting. Asha Sydney Patrick was his escort.Daniel Scott Wetmore, the Outstanding International Baccalaureate Student at Smoky Hill High School, is a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do and a member of the 2007 state champion University of Denver World Affairs Challenge team. Daniel is president and a founding member of The Brotherhood, a mentoring organization for African-American students, a peer counselor, member of the football and track teams, and student winner of the Dartmouth Book Award. He has applied to Stanford, Princeton, Georgetown, DU and Claremont McKenna, with plans to pursue a doctorate in criminology and become a forensic psychologist or sociology professor at a leading university. Brianna Dunea Halliburton was his escort.Denzel Edward Williams, captain of the football and track teams at Montbello High School, is a junior ambasssador for Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity was was named most valuable player in football during his freshman year. He has applied to the University of Nebraska and lists his goals as playing in the National Football League and starting his own business. Beatrice Elainia Johnson was his escort.

Pictures taken at the Beautillion are at denverpost.com/SeenGallery.

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com.

Mindful of the tragedy that befell the Titanic, yet eager to live out the heady excitement felt by passengers on the maiden voyage of what was then the world’s most modern ocean liner, 750 friends of Denver Museum of Nature & Science hastened aboard for Museum After Dark: A Voyage on the Titanic.
The benefit chaired by Mary Pat Link and her husband, John Strohm, included an after-dinner viewing of Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition and the auction of a watch made with rusted steel and coal recovered from the Titanic. It was donated by Oster Jewelers, and owner Jeremy Oster described the timepiece as “the most exciting watch on the market this year.”
Many of the guests came in period clothing and while there were plenty of bustles, gloves and hats, Dr. Bruce Paton was the most practical. He wore a bright orange life vest.
All of the food served — from the cocktail hour hors d’oeuvres to the dessert buffet set out after dinner in the museum’s South Atrium — was based on menus from the ship’s first class dining room.
The party’s proceeds go to museum-sponsored science programs for school-age children. Microsoft was the Presenting Sponsor.
Dinner was served in various diorama galleries. In North American Wildlife, for example, museum trustee Pamela Beardsley and her husband, George, were in the company of such as Ed and Hope Connors, Bridget Fisher, Mary Gaylord, Harry Lewis and Scott and Wendy Menefee.
Botswana was the “destination” for Oliver Hickel, also a museum trustee, and his wife, Lindsay; Meg Church; Robin and Patrick Jobe; Terry and David Appel; Barbara Bridges; and Reuben Cuneo, a paleobotanist from Argentina who is in the United States on a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Others enjoying this land-locked cruise were Sue Anschutz-Rodgers; Nancy Leprino Henry and David Henry; Leslie and Jack Ferguson; UMB Bank’s Mariner Kemper and his wife, Megan; Gordon and Sally Rippey; Buz and Sherri Koelbel; Tony and Nancy Accetta with her mom, Erna Butler; Jill DiPasquale; decor chairs Becky Stevens and Jeni Stevens; Tim Ryan, who purchased the African safari offered in the live auction; Cynthia and Philippe Dunoyer; Dr. Julika Ambrose; Carol and Graham Phipps; Barbara and Dan Berv; Jane and Merrill Yale; Heidi and Bruce Hoyt; Monta Lee Dakin and Steve Friesen; Mercedes and Sergio Gutierrez; Margie and Dave Hunter; Deanna and Greg Austin; and museum president George Sparks with his wife, Karyn.

Pictures from Museum After Dark can be viewed at denverpost.com/seengallery

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com.

Harry T. Lewis Jr. grew up in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, earned an MBA from Dartmouth, served as a leader in the investment world and spearheaded numerous projects that addressed Denver’s growth, planning and future development.
On Nov. 1, Colorado Bright Beginnings honored him for these contributions and more at a dinner held in the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom.
“Harry truly understands the value of early childhood development and the
importance of providing parents with support and encouragement to shape
their children’s lives,” observes Kyle Seedorf, vice chair of the Bright Beginnings board. “We are honored that he is helping us get the message out about the power parents have to influence their children’s
future.”
Founded by then-Gov. Roy Romer and the late Brad Butler, a retired chief executive for Procter & Gamble, the nonprofit organization provides Colorado parents with guidance, knowledge and tools to create a bright beginning for their children during the critical first three years of life.
Lewis began his professional life as a certified public accountant with what was then known as Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. Later, he became a
general partner and executive committee member at Boettcher & Co., and a senior vice president/Rocky Mountain Region for Dain Bosworth, Inc.
before starting his own firm, Lewis Investments.
Lewis, who is widowed, has had numerous leadership positions with such groups as the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; Downtown Denver, Inc.; the Regional Transportation District; Denver Museum of Nature and Science; and and the Stapleton Redevelopment Foundation.
Lewis also served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was the dinner’s theme, and guests included George and Karyn Sparks (he chairs the Bright Beginnings board and is the chief executive at Denver Museum of Nature and Science); the 2006 honoree, Dr. Dean Prina; Brad Butler’s widow, Erna Butler, an honorary board member; and her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Tony Accetta. Nancy serves as secretary of the Bright Beginnings board.
Also in the crowd of 400: Caz Matthews, director of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield’s WellPoint Foundation; former board chair Dr. Steve Berman and his wife, Elaine, a member of the State Board of Education; Terry Biddinger, director of external relations for the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center School of Nursing; Dan Ritchie, chancellor emeritus of the University of Denver and current leader of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Delta Dental of Colorado President Kate Paul; and Barry and Arlene Hirschfeld.
And, state Sen. Chris Romer; the superintendent of the Denver Public Schools, Michael Bennet; Denver City Council members Carol Boigon and Doug Linkhart; Megan Ferland, executive director of the Colorado Children’s Campaign; Elsa Holguin of the Rose Community Foundation; United Way chief Michael Durkin; George Beardsley; Gail Klapper; Trygve and Vicki Myhren; Anna Alejo of the Western Union Foundation; Schenkein co-owner Leanna Clark; 7News anchor Bertha Lynn; Colorado Symphony chairman Cy Harvey and his wife, Lyndia; Wells Fargo Bank senior vice president Pat Cortez; interior designer David Alexander; and Colorado & Co. co-host Mark McIntosh, the evening’s emcee.
Sponsors included Erna Butler, Wells Fargo, Denver Investment
Advisors, CH2MHill, the Piton Foundation, Martha Records and Rich
Rainaldi, Key Bank and the WellPoint Foundation
Bright Beginnings’ programs are free and are provided by 14
regional affiliates that reach all of Colorado’s 64 counties. In
2006, more than 12,000 families benefited from the organization’s work.
For more information about Colorado Bright Beginnings, call 303-433-6200
or visit brightbeginningsco.org.

Pictures taken at the Bright Beginnings gala can be viewed at denverpost.com/SeenGallery.

Denver Post Society Editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. Her column appears every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

If the word â€œprospectorâ€? conjures up the image of some grizzled old dude with a pick-ax and mule, you haven’t met Steve Brancato. The rockhound who discovered the largest aquamarine specimen ever found in North America bears more than a passing resemblance to actor George Clooneyâ€” and cleans up real nice. Read more…

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.